The present invention relates generally to the field of product configuration and more specifically to identifying compatibility issues between product specifications having multiple components.
Specifications are an integral part of the engineering field for developing new products. A specification is a type of technical standard in the form of a specific set of explicit requirements (in a good, material, process, service, system, or work) as dictated by a customer, which a vendor delivers to the customer. An engineer (working for the vendor) fields technical requests and in order to draft solutions, he or she must interpret and deliver against simple and complicated specifications. When multiple components (and hence multiple specifications) across multiple modes of contact (e.g., electrical, mechanical, chemical, etc.) are involved, the multiple specifications may not be compatible with each other. The identification and sorting through specification issues are non-trivial matters and are often not apparent, and thus are highly reliant upon the skill, knowledge, and diligence of the engineer.